Onto a different subject, got my Aqualogic Dual Controller yesterday and decided to set it up on the old tank to see how it works. Turns out my tank was running at 30deg!!! My Aquamedic/Biotherm unit has been telling me 26deg for as long as I've had it. I did wonder though as I had put 2x $2 thermos in the tank and they read close to 30deg aswel, but I had decided that a $100 piece of digital equipment was far more reliable than a $2 themometer. Question is, how close was I to disaster? Nothing seems phased by it, and i'd imagine its been running at 30deg for quite a while!

Have set the new controller to 28 deg, didn't wanna bump it down to 26 too quickly. Whats peoples opinion on temps? Should I drop it down to 26 at some point, or just keep it at 28?

i would drop it down in about a week or 2

I would take it down to 24 for winter. Mine is set to heat to 24 and the cooling kicks in at 27. The tank sat at 27-28 all summer.

24 for winter? I've got it set so anything less than 28 the heater is on, anything more than 28 the fans are on

My Tang breaks out in spots as soon as theres any major temp swing

So I'm trying to find some pricing for some MH/T5 combo units aswel, but thats almost harder to find than the T5 pricing Any hints? Would quite like to find a price for an Aquamedic 2x 250w unit like Jolliolli has, but my LFS can't source them

If money was no object Id get this purely cause it looks like a wizzy gadgit and has all the timers etc inbuilt. Satisfies those who prefer T5 and those who prefer MH and free moonlights for both.

If I were ever to sell my ATI's it would be for something like this, although no plans fro that unless we upgrade again

Would cost approx $4500 +gst i guess not including freight, ouch

Giesemann - MOONLIGHT

they would be so good you would never have to upgrade again

and all in a small neat shell

however they cost 2 much imo

they look cool though. I might sell my whle tank and then i will have enough to buy one, only problem is i wont have a tank to hang it over then :lol:

What a beautiful tank! The guy who built that stand did an excellent job! I am already getting vibes it is going to be one of the really good tanks!

Just one thing from what you said in your first post, about coral sand, to me, i think coral sand is a dirt trap and shouldn't be used.

I know some others run successful tanks that have coral sand, so you guys an girls that do, have my respect for actually making it work.

However to me, if you want to go sand, aragonite or calcite is a better option. The reason is that coral sand is porous and the pores will eventually clog. A coral sand bed can actually contain a surprising amount of pollution leaching crud. Aragonite on the other hand is not porous, and can be vacuumed.

Just my opinion!

Cheers wasp I quite like the sand, so will be running with it (haven't had any issues with current tank) but will be making sure its only a very thin layer.

Anyone out here know anything about the Arcadia Series 3 Pendants?

http://www.arcadia-uk.info/product.php? ... =10&lan=en

they look good

what size would you get if you decide to go with it

I think the one on offer is 110cm, twin 250w & T8's (so I could be slightly retro as Conch suggested

:lol:

why didnt they make them t5 :roll:

Lol, I think the Series 4 are T5.

I can't seem to find any reviews on it

So I have to start planning on how I'm going to move everything over.

I do plan on using the sand thats in the tank currently, along with a bit more new stuff as there wont be enough cover otherwise.

Am I best to set the new tank up with the "new" sand, fill it right up with freshly made saltwater and leave for a few days before I start adding old sand and liverock from the old tank? Or am I better just transferring everything at once so I can use 60 - 80% of the water from the old tank?

I'm trying to avoid any major cycling, and the later of the 2 ideas above is the only way I think I can stop a big cycle from happening?

Its a difference between 350 litres on the old tank, to approx 600litres (incl sump) in the new tank.

I've done both, ie move everything at once, or move slowly, doesn't make much difference but the biggy is to wash everything carefully before transferring.

So the rocks on the sand might have more crud attached than you would imagine so try to get as much off as possible before putting in the new tank. Likewise the old sand, wash it in the old tank water as thoroughly as you can before putting in the new tank, it may not be possible to do that all in one day just because of the amount of crud that will come out.

Back from the days I had sand I don't think it matters if you put the old sand on top, underneath, or mixed, with the new sand, long as you wash thoroughly plus don't allow the bacteria to die.

But transferring sand is a primo cause of a nutrient spike so it's all about cleanliness. Transferring rock is not much of an issue but there will likely be a bit of crud that could be blasted off.

Transferring fish and critters should be done towards the end if you can keep the old tank clean enough to hold them. Having them in the new tank causes ongoing difficulty while you are trying to set it up.

Cheers Wasp!

I "should" be able to keep the old tank relatively clean so the fish can be transferred last. What about corals though? Can they just be plonked in along with the LR?

As for cleaning. Will dunking the LR in a bucket of water from the old tank be enough to give them a bit of a clean?

I think with the Sand I will syphon what I can access from the old tank, wash it with a few buckets of old water from the old tank, then put it in the new tank with the new sand. Once the LR is moved I'll be able to access the rest of the sand and repeat the process?

Or is it just worth taking a small amount of sand from the old tank (this being coral sand not real sand) and just use mostly new sand?

And would it be wise to dump the new sand into a few buckets and chuck some salt water in there aswel now, so that it'll leach any crap now before it goes into the new display?

Yes the corals can be transferred whenever suits best long as things are liveable for them in the old tank, they can handle surprising discomfort as long as it's not for too long.

Yes a good dunk will clean the rocks, pretty much. And sounds like a good plan with the sand.

What you need to do is have a camera handy so you can show us a few pics during the process . And a few follow up pics over the following days and weeks will be interesting to see any effects, negative or positive.

I plan to have the cam ready

I haven't really thought about how I'm putting the rock work in the new tank yet. All I know is that I want to stay away from the "wall" look that I have in my tank at the mo, with rocks all ontop of each other. I'd much rather have it setup so theres heaps of swimming room for my Tangs (And any future larger fish)

Wow that's nice!

Just wondering if that would be enough rock for the new tank. Might look slightly empty at first but give it a year or two and surprising how the corals fill it up.

With my last tank I had to remove rocks several times as corals grew, was wishing I hadn't put so much in to begin with.

I can always buy more liverock as I need it, but I think it'll be enough for now, even if the tank does look a wee bit bare

completely agree with the less is more for the rocks, planning on having a lot less rock and avoiding the rockwall look when i get the new tank up